Chase Scenes: the Physical Element

There is so much out there on the physical element of chase scenes. No discussion of chase scenes is complete without it – maybe because it is the most obvious defining element of this type of scene.

• World: Remember that the chase scene takes place in the character's point of view – with a few exceptions. If you want to show parts of the setting that the view-point character cannot see, consider using multiple points of view, starting the scene with a broad scope that quickly narrows down (a narrow view-point is frequently more immediate to the reader), or introduce the invisible details in an earlier scene. You might want to consider creating a map of the chase scene, complete with obstacles an potential escape routes.
• Limits: Even Superman has physical limits but boy did they have to work hard to create them. Hopefully you will be more generous with your character's physical (and maybe supernatural) limits. Limits make the chase more exciting, cut down on your character's choices and chances, and can place your character at a disadvantage (raising the tension and suspense). Some tlimits have a built-in timer (which further ramps up suspense) like stamina, the time your character can hold her breath, the distance she can jump. Other limits are stable, like no depth perception, lack of strength. An injury can be stable or worsen as a result of the character's choices, further limiting their choices.
• Obstacles: Physical obstacles are limits imposed by the outside that must be avoided or overcome. Consider turning one into the other. Introduce an obstacle to be avoided at all costs and change the flow of action so it must be overcome. Introduce an obstacles that appears that it can be overcome bt turns into a dead end – possible causing harm to the protagonist or allowing the antagonist to catch up (or almost catch up) with the protagonist. In the pursuit scene, the antagonist may introduce obstacles (such as traps) to slow or block the progress of the protagonist.
• Action: Readers really get excited by close calls. The trick is to find a way to bring the two forces face-to-face (or in close range) without allowing an all-out confrontation. If the view-point character receives a handicap at this point (a wound, for instance) that makes further escape/ pursuit more difficult, so much the better. If this is a BIG chase scene, consider adding a stunt. These are times of high stakes, high emotion, and (if done right) highly memorable for the reader.

Chase Scenes: the Mental Element

Oddly, there is very little out on the internet under “writing chase scenes” and “mental” or “emotional”. So I had to figure all this out the hard way... studying lots and lots of chase scenes. Hopefully this series of posts will make things a little easier for future learners.

The mental world is where most of the tension an suspense is found – because even a chase scene is about the character more than it is about the action. The chase takes on importance to the reader only through the character because it is experienced through the character's point of view. The chase scene needs to be a very emotional experience for both the character and the writer. This means letting the reader into the view point character's inner world.

• World: The mental world is full of the character's reactions, evaluations, frustrations, and goals. These can be explicitly stated through thought, shown through action, or implied. If you choose to imply something (especially if you are new to this technique or the scene has failed a beta read), run the sequence by a test reader to make sure they intuit what you mean to imply.
• Limits: The character should have inner limits. This can be set patterns of thought that make it difficult for her to execute a successful pursuit or escape. Or maybe she assumes something about the opponent(s) that is not true. Or she has never learned to travel by rooftop or hide her tracks. All of this limits what she considers as possibilities – until you force her into a situation where she must do one of those things she has never considered (in which case her ignorance, etc. becomes an obstacle.)
• Obstacles: Inner obstacles must be overcome. Inner limits become inner obstacles only when the character must overcome them. Not all limits are obstacles but it is a sure way to raise the stakes! Suppose she not only does not know how to travel by roof-top (and it would never occur to her as a way to travel) but she is afraid of heights. Then make it the only way she can escape (or the person she must catch goes for the roofs). Limits + situation = inner obstacles.
• Action: The mental element should be in constant flux. Certainty gives way to bafflement. Complacency gives way to fear. Over, over, and over. Faster and faster. And as the scene progresses, her perceptions turn darker, more fearful, more disoriented. And more reactive as the pressures build from the inside and the outside. How your character reacts show very clearly where she is in her character arc (if you have one).

Chase Scenes: the Reader Element

The chase scene should be written (or revised) with the reader in mind. Like with any other type of scene, the reader interacts with the character or characters but the reader is not the character. Just because the character experiences the chase scene in a certain way does not necessarily mean the reader will have the same experience.

• World: The reader's experience is limited by the scene's point(s) of view. The fast pace of chase scenes does not leave a lot of room for details. Grounding the reader (time, place, season, etc.) can done (at least in part) indirectly. Every time thee character changes location – which happens a lot in a chase scene – you need to reorient the reader in some way. A possible exception is if the character is lost or disoriented.
• Limits: The reader is limited by how much the reader cares about the character, how well grounded the reader is, and how clearly you write.
• Obstacles: Logic. The sequence in writing is: physical stimulus → internal reaction → physical response. In chase scenes,the pace is fast and one step is sometimes assumed. This is fine – even desirable – so long as the action still makes sense to the reader. A break in logic occurs when the reader is not sure why the character reacted the way he just did. This is the danger of omitting steps. (If the character is not sure why he responded a certain way, the reader needs to know this. That confusion becomes the next internal reaction.)
• Action: You could say that the reader's involvement varies throughout the scene according to whether you are providing questions or answers. The “questions” would be what builds tension, uncertainty, suspense. The “answers” are what brings closure, temporary resolution, certainty. Readers become involved in questions and try to guess the answers to small questions (what happens next?), big questions (will they catch her?) and size in-between. At the same time, they can become frustrated by too many questions and not enough answers. Try overlapping your questions and answers for maximum reader involvement and satisfaction.

Chase Scenes: Balancing the Mental, Physical, and Reader Elements

It feels strange not to start this series of posts with the physical element of chase scenes but there are so many articles about that element and far fewer that focus on the mental and reader elements. Even fewer discuss keeping a balance among the three. Maybe this is because of the belief that action makes the chase scene. But isn't it the character's emotional and intellectual reactions? Or is it the reader's involvement?

All three, of course.

(We'll break down these elements over the next three posts.)

While reader involvement is always paramount, the emphasis on the physical and mental elements shifts according to what type of book (or scene) you are writing. But emphasis also shifts within a scene.

The mental element makes thee reader care. It is gives substance to the chase scene. Emphasis on the mental element is common in character-driven stories. It consists of emotions and thoughts. The mental element both causes and follows physical action. As we'll see, a focus on the mental element doe not have to mean slowing the pace of the action in the scene. It has a type of action all its own.

The physical element grounds the reader. It gives form to thee chase scene. Emphasis on the physical element is common in plot-driven stories. It consists of settings, obstacles, and moving objects. The physical element reacts to the character and forces the character to react. As we'll see, the physical element helps shape the character and influences reader reactions.

A chase scene needs both substance and form. There is no formula for how much is needed where or when. The best guide is the reader. Doe the reader sit back and put thee book down at a certain point? You need more of the other element.

Or you forgot the reader element.